Over 200 Club New Year New Body-Part 8

I have also heard that breakfast boots your metabolisim. That's why I eat it. Otherwise I would just skip it. I hate breakfast. I'm a freak of nature! LOL

I have never eaten breakfast in my entire life until September of last year. Before then, I would always wait until 1 or 2pm to eat and sometimes I'd go all day without eating anything until 10pm or so (at which point I'd stuff my freakin' face! and then go to sleep. Hmmm, wonder why I weighed 270 pounds).

When it was warmer (It stays warm here through the end of October), I was making a lot of smoothies for breakfast. A cup or so of frozen fruit (I tried all kinds), half of a banana, half a cup of plain yogurt, and half a scoop of protein powder. They're so good and are about 200 calories or so. When it got colder, I started eating oatmeal a lot for breakfast because it's something I can prepare at work with just hot water (I do NOT recommend instant oatmeal, but quick oatmeal has the same nutrition as steel cut). I add a tablespoon of peanut butter for flavor & extra protein and I also add half a scoop of protein powder. My oatmeal is usually about 300 calories but it's so incredibly filling I can't even think about eating again until lunch time. I don't eat much bread so oatmeal is a good source of whole grains for me.

Some mornings I cook an egg in a skillet and put it on a whole wheat english muffin with some chive & onion cream cheese or half an ounce of cheddar.

Then, sometimes I toast a piece of whole grain bread (I love Arnold's/Orowheat's 12 grain bread) and put a tbs of peanut butter on it & eat a banana or hard boiled egg with it.

On the weekends, I've been known to make huge omelets with tons of veggies, a couple eggs, some egg whites, and a little cheese. Sometimes I'll just put last night's leftovers into my omelet. :laugh: I also make pancakes occasionally. For syrup, you can throw some frozen fruit into a pot and add a little honey or splenda and simmer and it makes a super yummy nutrition-packed lower calorie syrup (as opposed to HFCS maple-flavored light pancake syrup).

I pretty much never eat cereal because it feels really unsatisfying to me as a meal, but that's probably just a weird personal thing. I just need more protein than cereal can provide, I guess.

jlb-Thanks for the awesome suggestions on the breakfast foods! I have so many options now! Thanks ladies!! Y'all are the best!!

awestfall-Sounds like you are at a plateau. I had the same problem!! It is a horrible feeling! My work has wellness department and in February we had healthy heart challenge. It challenged us to eat at least 5 servings of fruits and veggies a day. Something I wasn't doing before and as soon as I started doing that a week later I overcame my plateau. I don't know if you currently eat a lot of fruits and veggies. I try to stick more with raw veggies since they have less sugar. I was eating a fruit or vegetable at every meal and then 2 snacks of one or the other. But usually just changing up your diet a little bit or your workout routine can help. Hope this helps a little bit!

My weight is up 4 pounds from Friday but I am not worried cause I know TOM is on its way anyday now and I sort of binged a bit last night on salty food but I did exercise right after so I know it will come back off.I am just tired of gaining and losing the same pounds over and over again can anyone suggestion what I need to do.Is this a plateau?I have been losing and gaining the same 4 pounds for at least the past 2 months if not longer.Any suggestions on if its a plateau or I just need to keep doing what I am doing and it will begin to move again?

I love Banks' post about plateauing! http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/20343-how-i-have-avoided-plateauing-length-warning?hl=banks+plateau

As you (may) know, I just go past a pleateau. I started eating more (with more protein) and increased my exercise intensity. I'm about to start trying to change up my routine a bit by doing 30 day shred in the mornings instead of biking because I feel like my body is becoming too efficient at biking.
One thing about it is that while I wasn't really losing much weight last month, I lost a lot more inches than I did in January when I lost nearly twice as much weight!

checking in for yesterday:
Had a nice birthday - thanks everyone for the well wishes! :flowerforyou:

calories: DEFINITELY OVER ... but my birthday fried chicken and french fries were very good ... I was worried about the mess my hubby made in the kitchen - but he did mostly clean it up after dinner. I made the mistake of weighing myself this morning and I'm up 4 POUNDS! I don't think I could really have gained 4 pounds from one meal ... hopefully water retention that will go away soon
exercise: good ... I didn't get out of bed to workout in the morning like I had planned, but I did do the Biggest Loser Last Chance Workout from my cable On Demand while my husband was making dinner. My 9 year old did a lot of it with me until he lost interest, while my 16 year old made comments about our bad form.
proud: that I did get in my exercise at home, AND after work - which is always a big deal
water: not so hot
Have a great day everyone!

p.s. for everyone who advised me that we should try to keep my Aunt's farmhouse ... I have been feverishly working up plans for different options to buy the house, some with my brothers and I buying out my cousins, some with my cousins if they decide they don't want to sell, and even with just me buying it ... and I feel so much happier about deciding to try to keep the house that I know it is the right decision. It only makes sense to me, we can always sell later on if we find that it isn't working out to keep up the house with no one living there - and we would likely not lose any money since selling now in this real estate market would probably be a lower price. Hopefully we can get it all worked out soon.

Hi Everyone,
Chris’ post yesterday about her friends not commenting on her weight loss really got me thinking.
It is sinking in for me that what I’m doing is not for other people and I don’t care what anyone thinks.

I thought back to an incident the occurred last fall. I was walking down 57th street to get lunch with a few friends, minding my own business when some random man standing by a building yelled at me. He yelled, “Hey, you look like Lindsay Lohan, pause, after she went on an ice cream binge.”. There were probably 20 strangers and my friends in earshot and as stupid as he was, it was still embarrassing and hurtful. Evidently I have not forgotten it.

The thing is, his words DID NOT influence my decision to change my life and take hold of my health. Nor did the words of countless friends and family over the years who try to give “helpful” suggestions about what I should eat. Nor did the people who gave me nasty looks if they witnessed me, a fat girl, eating a chocolate bar. Not even my dearest friends and supportive boyfriend who said I was beautiful no matter what my weight and loved me as much at my highest weight as at my lowest weight.
This is not about them!

Side note to this rant – Why do people think that we are ignorant about food just because we are overweight? I knew how many calories were in those ice cream sundaes, I know many vegetables I should be eating per day, etc. etc.

So my reality today is that I want to be at a healthy weight in order to live a longer and fuller life than I could at 88lbs overweight. This is for me. Everyone else (even my closest loved ones) is secondary.
I didn’t get fat for anyone else and I’m not losing weight for anyone else.

I realize that this may sound selfish but it feels like freedom.

Meokk, thanks so much for sharing your insight. And I know I've been right there having a total stranger completely humiliate me about my size. :ohwell: And you're right, you can't do this for them. Eff them anyway.
I do believe, however, that at least some overweight people overeat because they've ignorant. I know I did. For me, overeating was an addiction just like any drug (chemical elements and all, really). My ignorance came into play when it came down to *HOW* to lose weight and be healthy. I knew what I was doing was bad, but I didn't know how not to do it (which sounds so stupid now, but it was the honest truth at the time). I honestly believe the majority of severely overweight people are ignorant about food and exercise. Maybe they're not ignorant in the sense that they know their supersized combo meal from McDonald's isn't diet food, but ignorant in the way that they just don't know how to change. But maybe that's because I can't rationalize it any other way.

Like you mentioned, my bf responds to me differently now, the smallest I've been since we've been together, than he did at my heaviest. We're a lot more affectionate, he wants to hang out with me more often, he offers to buy things for me more often, etc. But I honestly believe this is becasue of how I feel about myself now rather than about him loving me more because I weigh less. I'm sure I was a lot more unpleasant when I was so incredibly unhappy with what I had let myself become. Anyway, that's just my perspective about that.

meokk - perfect! I have always known WHY I should lose weight, and HOW but now I really want it for me so it's working. That and I feel FABULOUS now with tons more energy and I'm pretty sure I've never felt this energetic in my life.

awestfall - I wasn't losing much in February until I ate a 2500 calorie "girls night out" meal. I'm not recommending it but I had what felt like a lovely, reasonable, evening out with smart choices - came home and tallied the results and about died. In the next nine days I lost about 5 lbs. One example of how sometimes this stuff is random or just shaking up the system. ALSO make sure you eat something after you exercise. I like to exercise on an empty stomach so I don't get sick (I really hate that!) but within 30 minutes to an hour it's really important to give your body some fuel! Carbs and protein help your body rebuild the energy stores and if it gets it from your diet it seems to keep burning at a better rate.

Also watch what you're eating - eat good quality smart food - not the "vitaMuffin 100 calories well spent" chocolate muffins advertised to the right of my screen right now:laugh: Eat fruit and veggies and foods your body NEEDS not so much what it wants. (I say in the same post I report eating/drinking 2500 calories out with the girls LOL) I guess I think occasional splurges are good but some of the every day splurges end up costing us too much.

snowflake, jlb123 and the rest of you - I almost work for the government - I work for a non-profit hospitals system

lstpaul - 20 years from now having that home for your kids to visit and sled etc... will be a far greater gift than anything else you could do! My nephew talks about what HE is going to do with Dad's farm when HE gets it. LOL my youngest sister is about 10 years older than him and in great health - I told him "Truman, by the time you have this and we're gone, you'll be 85 and YOUR grandson will be making grandiose plans :laugh: Kids!

Jess and jlb - I'm hoping to convince my beagle that she'd like to be a running dog - the setter will kill me trying to watch for dragonflies and butterflies (why he's not a hunting dog) and Mrs. Fig is exhausted after lumbering from her doggy bed to the water dish (although she was a bucking fool in the snow this morning!).

Heather - I'm starting to look at my tack, figuring out what is still good and what I need to start.... RIDING this spring!

Wow, some great posts since my last check-in earlier!

Meokk: Great insight! Thank you for sharing your story and thoughts because you're right!

mstahl: I'm so excited for you! This spring is going to be awesome when you start riding again. I can't wait to hear all about it!!

Jlb: I'm glad you're feeling so much happier and better about yourself and that the weight loss journey is ultimately having a positive influence on your relationship. I love hearing things like that. I'm sure you're right that your attitude has way more to do with your boyfriend's change in behavior toward you than your weight did since you've been together for a long time. Yay!

Okay, I feel like a cheerleader today. Maybe its because I'm hopped up on sugar from the fudge chocolate chip cookie I ate with lunch...hmmm...who said cookies are ALL bad? (Yes, I am still doing well on my calories. I skipped half of my sandwich to eat the cookie!)

Hello Girls, WOW, what a busy day on this board.lol.

MMeokk: what a great story. we all have been down that road...but for some reason "this" time is different...we are doing this weight loss thing for ourselves not to please others.

JIb and mstahl i love your positive attitude...you are so motivational..thanks for being around...:)

Mstah: i see you are making homemade yogurt more often, that is great to hear.

Awestfall: hang in there...i think i have lost the same 4 pound since new years...i am getting kind of frustrated. I made a bet with myself...after all this exercise and watching what i eat...if i don't lose weight on weight in day then on Saturday i am planning to eat a really fat/big meal..then jump back on the wagon. Good luck and you will lose weight...stay positive..

Cris and Heather: i think i am addicted to MFP...at least (we) are addicted something educational and will benefit to our health..i have to check in about twice a day on weekdays and maybe once on weekends..

Have a great day everyone!

Check in 3/2/10
calories: 1200..on target
exercise: one hour ( 30 treadmill and 30 elliptical) burned 600 calories
water: yup...around 9 cups and counting
proud: i made it to an hour of exercise and not my typical 40 minutes..
challenge: i drank water, coffee, and maybe tea, in the evening.


'

just got back from the gym

I was not able to complete c25k week4 day1- this was the first time I didnt finish a work out :brokenheart: :sad: I was kind of prepared for it...I am still proud that I got through the first 3 min run and the first 5 mins run...I was amazed that I could run the 5 mins and I am proud I didnt quit. Tomorrow I will try again....

good night friends!